This update addresses some large exploits which allowed players to get absurdly high scores by playing in a way that was not very fun or challenging. It also adds many 'quality of life' improvements and adds more character to your robot, GG. The result is a much more fair and stable game which is a smoother experience for new players and veterans alike.
As a result, any future updates can now focus on adding new content. I have a few new modes and unlocks I'd love to try out. No promises yet, but that's what I'm thinking right now.
Several of these new changes in v1.3 (along with the changes in the previous update) were made in direct response to player feedback. I'm very grateful whenever anyone shares their feedback as it helps me to improve the game and understand how you're playing it.
[previewyoutube="921XBIHX1sQ;full"]
Anyway, here's what's new...
Gameplay changes
EMPs now use an 'inventory' system instead of battery energy. This was changed to address an exploit where you could essentially use EMP endlessly on higher waves because you regenerated energy so quickly. You now need EMPs in your inventory to use this ability. Destroyed ghosts now sometimes drop EMP tokens; collect them to stock up on EMP uses, up to a maximum of 9 at a time.
The number of ghosts required to clear a wave now matches the number that spawn, so you should never finish a wave with stray ghosts left over.
If your battery is low when you chain enough ghosts to clear a wave you'll get a little energy boost for free. This prevents tedious waiting with nothing to do at the end of a wave while your battery recharges.
Battery auto-regeneration doesn't kick in until 1 second after spending some energy.
Power-ups last for a few seconds longer before expiring.
Visual/Feedback changes
Added lots of new animations to GG which give helpful feedback about the current state of the game.
Added a pop-up to show how many points you earned from each chain (underneath score counter).
Battery gauge now shows segments when you deplete/replenish energy to show how much you lost/gained.
Nuke counter HUD now uses a numerical display like the new EMP display.
The 'hit pause' effect is now restricted to 3 per EMP and 5 per Boost to prevent too much pausing during busy moments.
Added effect over player when you first start the game.
Improved readability of Nintendo Switch controller icons.
Added secondary set of Nintendo Switch controller icons (A/B/X/Y icons).
Swapped A and B buttons in menus on Nintendo Switch controllers.
Power-ups cannot be collected for a second when they first appear, to give you a chance to see what spawned before collecting one accidentally.
'Energy gain' visual effects have been reversed so they look more like absorption when you catch bullets with your beam.
Reduced screenshake intensity when you take damage.
Other changes
Greatly improved load times when switching between background scenes.
Improved save speed in several cases.
Data is now always saved as and when the application quits.
Added option to view leaderboards from the "Get Ready" screen in main menu.
Leaderboards now show an icon next to your own score and your friends' scores.
GameJolt leaderboards can be browsed page by page (up to top 100 scores).
Updated Patreon list in the credits (thanks to these awesome people!)
Stage 2's music now loops cleanly (thanks to Luke Warner for the fix!)
Bug fixes
Fixed visual glitch when HUD elements changed colour while faded.
Enemy knockback no longer continues while game is paused.
Fixed enemy knockback not working the first time it's started.
Prevented bullets being able to hurt you after they've left the level area.
3D background scene is now affected by camera shake.
Fixed ghosts' stun particle effects remaining active when they respawn.
Potential fix for Boost not working after switching to a different application and back.
Fixed ghost spawn effect being partially clipped behind other objects.
Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback on Ghost Grab 3000 since release. It's been so helpful in refining the game into its new and improved form. Please share your thoughts on the discussion boards if you have any feedback or if you find any bugs.
For more updates please remember to...
Thanks! Enjoy the new update!
Matt
Update 1.2
Version 1.2 is now available, and there's a 30% discount this week to celebrate!
Here's what's new...
Performance improvements
I have implemented an 'object pooling' system which results in significant performance boosts, particularly on low-end PCs and especially when there are many objects appearing and being destroyed during gameplay.
Boring technical details: The game now keeps a cache of disabled gameobjects in memory which can be simply enabled/disabled, instead of being created/destroyed which resulted in lots of garbage collection spikes.
Rebalancing
Certain Robot Mod combinations and power-ups could be exploited to make the game too easy and not fun if played in a certain way. This has been addressed with the following changes:
The power of these Robot Mods has been reduced a little to make this tactic harder to pull off, whilst avoiding making them completely redundant. This affects Snake, Viper, Woodpecker and Eel mods.
The 'EMP Range' power-up increases your range a little less each time, so it doesn't give you full reach of most of the screen when fully upgraded.
Using the EMP ability now costs the same amount of battery energy as a Grapple Beam chain pop. So if you are using a Robot Mod than affects the Grapple Beam cost, the EMP will be affected too (rather than it always having a fixed cost).
There are more changes in the works to address other exploits too.
Level boundaries
The edges of the level are now displayed as hazard stripes that only appear when you're nearby, rather than thick black borders around the entire screen.
Note: these borders are only visible using certain display resolutions. If your monitor's native resolution is 1080p then you won't see them. This is normal, because the screen edges are aligned with the level boundaries.
Interface fading
Interface elements now fade away when you go near them. No longer will you fall victim to a cheeky ghost that was hiding behind your health bar or score counter.
Leaderboard filter
You can now filter the Steam leaderboard by your personal high score. This mode is displayed by default.
Bug fixes
You can no longer move outside the level boundaries when moving quickly.
You will no longer get stuck outside the level boundaries if you use an EMP when you're in the corner of the screen.
Standalone builds no longer crash if you have no internet connection when the leaderboard is displayed.
EMP sound effect is no longer cut off before it finishes.
Thank you to everyone who has supported this game since release last year. It means the world to me, and I hope you enjoy the new improvements in this update!
This is a free update for anyone who has purchased the game. Please download the new version for the best experience.
One of the changes in this update was in part requested by No Hands! Lets Play, who is playing the game using only his chin. In earlier versions, the mouse cursor was always locked during gameplay. You now have the option to unlock it so you can use third party software to control the game using the mouse.
Changes:
When playing on ultra widescreen displays the game's aspect ratio is now clamped to a 16:9. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, it addresses a number of problems where menus and interfaces would not display correctly. Secondly, all players now have the same (or similar) size gameplay space. This puts all players on an even playing field, ensures consistency of difficulty and makes leaderboards more fair.
Black borders may be displayed at the edge of the gameplay areas if your display is not 16:9.
Added a 'Cursor Lock' setting in the Options menu. By default, the cursor is hidden and displayed at different times depending on the game state. You can now force it to always be hidden, or always be visible and unlocked.
Saving data is now split into smaller chunks so it's quicker when exiting certain menus.
An icon is displayed over the Robot Shop button if there are mods available to buy (this was included in v1.0 but was not in the previous patch notes).
Bug fixes:
Ghosts are now correctly knocked away if you Boost or EMP them while they're close to the edges of the screen.
Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback so far! I'm working on some more changes and updates so please follow my Steam Developer page to stay up to date.
Matt
Ghost Grab 3000 is OUT NOW!
It's finally here! Check out the new launch trailer.
[previewyoutube="N0EIoMzeQ1s;full"]
Ghost Grab 3000 is available now for Windows, Mac and Linux.
After some careful consideration I've decided to move the release date for Ghost Grab 3000 back to 8th November.
The previous date (31st October) was selected for its spooky factor, but I failed to account for the Steam Halloween Sale that would be happening that same week.
When you release a game on Steam there's a tiny window of time where the game is visible on the front page under the "New Releases" section. During that window you can potentially get hundreds of thousands of people seeing your game. But I'd miss out on that if I released during the sale, as the sale would be dominating the Steam front page.
For that reason, I've decided to postpone the release by 8 days.
I hope you understand why can't afford to miss out on that free traffic, as it's basically the biggest opportunity you ever get to attract new players.
I will use that extra week to polish the game even more and make it worth the wait!
If you haven't already, please add Ghost Grab 3000 to your Steam wishlist!
Watch 6 minutes of gameplay
I just posted a 6-minute video of unedited, uninterrupted arcade ghost-chaining bullet hell gameplay.
Check it out:
[previewyoutube="-xjXchnGXus;full"]
Ghost Grab 3000 is coming to Steam this Halloween.
Remember to add it to your WISHLIST to be notified when it's released.
RELEASE DATE, Achievements and Tutorials!
Ghost Grab 3000 is hitting Steam on...
👻 8TH NOVEMBER 2019 👻
I hope that's not too spooky for you, but that's just the way things are in 3000 AD.
There's a bunch of new stuff coming, some of which is in the new pre-release build available on Patreon. Find out more here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/29913369
P.S. If you own my other games you can get it as part of the Complete Egg Carton Bundle with a 20% discount to say "thanks for supporting me and my work". You make it possible for me to do this full-time, and I'm eternally grateful!
NUKES - now detonating in Alpha 0.16
You are being entrusted with the nuke codes.
No pressure.
Find out what else is new in the latest early access build here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/29183028
If you're interested in getting early access to Ghost Grab 3000, you can do that today by joining my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/mattglanville
Please remember to add Ghost Grab 3000 to your Wishlist!
